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<br />eient powers to be l1' pl1rty signl1tory to the docume.nt. Dut whether
<br />thl1t be the method adopted, or the method here proposed, which is
<br />that he sho\ll(l merel'y repOl'L back without. ~igning, Lhe ull.ima.tc
<br />effect would Lo the same if the compact was approved.
<br />Mr. MICIU;NER.' Personally) I would never support 11 measure
<br />which reqnired l1nything further than his report.ing back. '
<br />Mr, CAHPJoONTEU, Yes; 1 can see readily that it would be better to
<br />have him merely report back and for Con$ress to take the matter up
<br />on the final approval of the compact, Iou will note that this bill
<br />has the double method; it provides now for the consent in the first
<br />insta.nce. '
<br />Mr, MICHBNlm, Yes,
<br />Mr. CAlli'l~N'l'lm. And then,. if they are fortunate e-.l1ough to a.gre.e;
<br />the maLLer docs not stop there, but it comes back to Congress for ap-
<br />provaL
<br />~ir. MlClmNJm. Yes.
<br />Mr, noms, Thereby avoiding any such thing as occurred to the
<br />Versa,illes treaty, fLanghte,r,]
<br />1\11'. CAI,PENTER. Yes, sil'o In other words, the I~1ntt,ers involved are
<br />so momentous (,hat the utmost caution and scrutiny should obtain
<br />throughout the cntiro proceeding, from the initial act to the conclud-
<br />ing approval; that is the thought of those of us who have had to do
<br />with the preparation of the whole program,
<br />Again, I might state in this connection that the interstate litigation
<br />respecting tbese rivers has been extremely unsatisfactory.
<br />Fcn' illustration, thero is a case now pending betwebn Wyoming and
<br />Colorado in Lhe United States Supreme Court, which was eommenced
<br />in 1911. Thcre were 267 days consumed from the beginuiug to the
<br />end in thc taking of testimony in that case, It has been twice argued,
<br />but because of the conditions, and it being an interstate proble.m be-
<br />t.ween two soycreignties of the Union, the court is t~ddng its time to
<br />finally arrive at a decision.
<br />That is a,long period, during which there haye been several c.hanges
<br />of political :l,(1ministrat.ion. Judges have died, and conditioll!! have
<br />materia,lly aHered and changed in both SLates in many rega,rds,
<br />Had this matter been taken up in the first instance, (,he matter there
<br />in controversy, and the SUttes entered seriously upon a considerntion,
<br />of th"t river, a greater part of the contention upon it could have
<br />be,en eliminated by compact, without question, and the same may be'
<br />said 0 f othor rivers.
<br />To return just. for one moment t.o the problem of expense, and then
<br />I will not take more of your time, I was just staLing that the de-
<br />taile(l infol'mal,iou was beinl2; propared by these various bureaus. In
<br />our St.1Le of Colorado, and in New }.{exico and Arizona likewise, the
<br />comlllissioner is to look to the engineering machinery of the State for
<br />detailed facts and informiltion, It might well be snggested in this
<br />quarter that t.he cOlllmissioner for the Uni~~1 Stitt.es ,would naturally
<br />look La the Heclamation Service, the pO"'Ner r~?the Geological
<br />Survey) and other a.dvisol'Y burcu.us for his information, and each
<br />of tho St"tes having its facts largely in hand, the expense of pre-
<br />~cntiJlg La the eommission such informa.tion as may be ne.eessary
<br />would probably largely be cared for in those quart.e;'s, So t.he ex-
<br />pense to the Ullited States and to the St.ates of the commission itself
<br />"\vould be l::t,l'gely that of the compensation of its commissioners and
<br />the representative on behalf of the Govermuent, ineluding their trav-
<br />f'lillg and other incidental expenses) and t.he sha.ring of that expense
<br />
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